Golf Buzz

Brittany Lang and boyfriend Kevin Spann hugged after she accepted his proposal at the North Texas LPGA Shootout on Saturday.

So, how memorable was your round of golf today? Not as memorable as Brittany Lang's, I bet.

The LPGA Tour veteran had just wrapped up her third-round 71 in the North Texas LPGA Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club this afternoon when her boyfriend, Kevin Spann, walked up to her. But instead of saying 'good game,' he dropped to one knee, pulled out an engagement ring and and asked her to marry him.

''We've been together about 11 months,'' said Lang. ''We met at the club that we play at and it's been going very well. I had a few ideas [this might be coming] because he's been acting a little strange.''

The two indeed met in the parking lot at TPC Craig Ranch in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, where Lang lives. And, no it's not a coincidence that the two of them were dressed in almost-identical outfits. Lang says she plays better when they dress alike.

The Golf Channel caught the surprise proposal on camera. To see it, click here.

There was, predictably, a lot of reaction to the proposal on social media. But no one summed up the day like Kris Tamulis, who played with Lang on Saturday. Here's her tweet: "2 rare occurrences today on the course: I saw a spectator take a wee on a tree just outside the ropes AND my playing partner got engaged!"

Country superstar George Jones and his golf clubs played a role in a memorable Vince Gill video.

Country music superstar George Jones was a bit of a golfer, too. And as music world mourns his death – Jones passed away early Friday at the age of 81 – we wanted to pay our respects by providing a link to a very funny golf-themed video in which Jones has a cameo.

Back in 1993, Vince Gill – the country music star most widely known for his love of golf – had a big hit with a song called ''One More Last Chance,'' and the video for that song is all about golf. At the end, Jones makes an appearance driving a small tractor with his golf bag strapped across the back.

That, of course, is a laughing reference to one of the more infamous incidents in Jones' wild life – when, while on a drinking binge, he drove his John Deere riding mower 10 miles to a liquor store.

Louis Oosthuizen averages about 300 yards off the tee, but his drive on the first hole Friday almost doubled that distance.

Louis Oosthuizen hit what likely will go down as the longest drive of the year on the European Tour today at the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea.

The 2010 British Open champion teed it up on the 583-yard, par-5 first hole at Blackstone Golf Club and let 'er rip. His shot went soaring down the right side of the fairway, then bounced onto the cart path.

It rolled down the winding path for close to two minutes! It almost came to a halt at one point, then picked up speed again, and finally to came to rest against a curb about 500 yards from the tee – and only a foot or two short of a U-turn that would have carried it far away from the hole.

At this point, the odyssey of Oosthuizen's orb gets anticlimactic. Oosthuizen took a free drop, pitched the ball into the fairway and ended up making a par.

For the record, Oosthuizen ranks seventh on the European Tour in driving distance, averaging 302.8 yard a pop. He shot a 71 today and is tied for eighth after two days of the rain-delayed event near Seoul.

Kikkor explained that 100 percent of the proceeds would go to the charity of the purchaser's choice.

The starting bid on the one-of-a-kind shoes via eBay, was $200. The "buy now" price was $5,000.

Our friends at Kikkor sent out a press release today to say the final price on the shoes came in at $1,025, which, if you've seen these puppies (look above), is an absolute steal -- luckily, all of that is going to a great cause.

Here's the press release from Kikkor:

Vancouver, Canada, April 24, 2013 -- The Limited Edition Kikkor Masterer pair of golf shoes, hand painted by Social Statement, recently auctioned for a final price of $1,025 to the winner, Ross Sheard. 100% of the proceeds were donated to Canucks for Kids Fund, Sheard’s charity of choice.

It is perhaps the most epic golf shoe Kikkor has ever made, maybe even the most epic golf shoe ever made. The Limited Edition Kikkor Masterer was hand painted by Social Statement, featuring two of golf’s most notable Masterers, Jack and Arnie, along with the unmistakable Masters Leaderboard, and unique Kikkor-Masterer branding. The was only one pair made, but most notable, 100% of the sale went to the charity of the buyer’s choice.

“We wanted to create something that was exceptionally unique to the Masters, rather than a simple pair of green and yellow shoes,” explains Kikkor Founder, James Lepp. “In my mind, there’s nothing much more unique than a hand-painted pair with 100% of the proceeds going to charity.”

The Kikkor Masterer shoes were auctioned off on eBay, ending on April 17th, with Ross Sheard winning the bid at $1,025. Sheard describes his rationale behind the bid, “I decided to bid on the shoe first and foremost because I knew the money was going to a good cause, whether I won it or not. Secondly, the shoes are the most unique golf thing I have ever seen, and instantly had visions of what they would look like in an encasing of some sort for years to come.”

When asked why he selected the Canucks for Kids Fund as the charity, Sheard responded, “The Canucks for Kids Fund represents everything you'd like in a charity. It dedicates itself to providing support for children's health and wellness, they help develop for grassroots hockey, and heavily promote and encourage education in our wonderful province of BC. As a former junior hockey player, I personally know how much it costs to support your love for the game, and anything to help the kids out is fantastic. Not to mention, I am a Canucks fan through and through.”

Shane, the artist behind the Kikkor Masterer and Social Statement, stated, “I am honored Kikkor Golf reached out to me on this project knowing the proceeds would benefit such a worthy cause. Art and charity work in harmony. They are both mediums that transcend language, ethnicity and culture. To know my talents can bring people together for a worthy cause is humbling.” Talks between Kikkor Golf and Shane have already begun regarding other one-of-a-kind shoes.

To conclude, Lepp from Kikkor Golf explains, “At the end of the day we couldn’t be more pleased with how things turned out. The Kikkor Masterer pair looks stunning, the winning bid exceeded our expectations, and the chosen charity of Canucks for Kids Fund is close to our hearts.”

One feature that stands out on all SeeMore putters is the alignment of two parallel lines with a centered red dot that sits on top of the putter's heel, just behind the shaft.

SeeMore, a company based out of Franklin, Tenn., are the makers of some of the most interesting looking, and most effective putters you'll ever see.

In 1999, the late Payne Stewart won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 using a SeeMore putter. Zach Johnson has been a longtime SeeMore user and won the 2007 Masters weilding a SeeMore wand.

While SeeMore produces several putter models in blade and mallet varieties, the one feature every SeeMore putter has in common are the two white lines with a red, centered dot that sits on the top of the putter, just behind the shaft.

The idea is that once you address the ball to hit a putt, your alignment is correct if when you look down, the putter shaft aligns perfectly in the middle of the two white lines, hiding the red dot.

Recently, we had a chance to sit down with SeeMore Co-Owner and CEO Jim Grundberg for a little Q&A to learn more about SeeMore putters.

PGA.com: Can you explain the design of your putter to our readers? Specifically, talk about the red-dot alignment that sits right behind the shaft.

Grundberg: SeeMore is known for the simple alignment system where the player hides the red dot on the top of the heel of the putter behind the shaft of the putter. When the two parallel lines on either side of the red dot (always white or black) are perfectly lined up on either side of the shaft as the player is looking down at address, and the red dot is hidden, the putter face is square to the target, and the putter is square to the player's posture and set up. This allows the same consistent stroke every time.

SeeMore calls this system RifleScope Technology, or RST. It's like locking radar onto a target. And this simple reference point allows the player to self correct as needed to make sure that the putter is in the same position for every stroke, eliminating variables and allowing practice time and time on the course to be more productive and enjoyable, leading to improved scores.

PGA.com: Your putter has had success at the highest level. The late Payne Stewart -- it might be fair to say -- put the putter on the map when he used it to win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Zach Johnson won the 2007 Masters with your putter. First, how satisfying is it to see your product get results at the highest level? And secondly, how did the popularity of your products grow as the result of those victories?

Grundberg: For a small independent brand like SeeMore, where all we focus on is putting improvement, it is ultimately very gratifying to see two of the greatest final-round putting performances and most satisfying wins in U.S. Open and Masters history involving our putter. And certainly each victory on tour leads the club pros, teaching pros, and average golfers to take notice that this is a game-improvement technology that leads to better putting.

But the best testimonials then come from those average golfers themselves, who are able to execute the same simple system and get the same great results. They tell their friends, or their playing partners see their improvement, and word spreads. This is the way SeeMore is growing. And it is also being driven by a team of believers who are certified fitters and instructors at the club and store level. But more on that later.

PGA.com: There's a whole fitting system involved with SeeMore putters. What does that entail?

Grundberg: We understand that golfers all have their own ideas about what shapes and specs they like. We provide guidance and pretty in-depth fittings for those that are open to change, those who really want to find the best putting of their lives. And we provide a wide variety of options, and looks, literally something for everyone, but all with our own unique and patented RST alignment system.

That is what separates us. And we custom assemble all of our putters at our headquarters in Franklin, Tenn., and we will literally build anything our customers want. We are totally custom built for those who want that. Custom lengths, lie, grips, swingweights, overall weights, headcovers, we love to help golfers create the best putter they've ever owned.

PGA.com: Where can people get more information about going through a SeeMore putter fitting?

Grundberg: Our web site, SeeMore.com, is pretty extensive and we also identify the growing list of our certified instructors (who will combine a tour-level putting lesson with a world-class putter fitting), and other certified club fitters. This is the team that is fully trained to give every golfer the SeeMore studio and tour experience.

The team of PGA teachers and instructors that are going through our instructor certification process is nearly 300 strong worldwide, with another group of certified fitters at the store level who do not offer full instruction like the teachers but are certified in helping golfers find the right SeeMore and the proper fit.

SPi is about a year old, and the response from instructors and students and customers has been fantastic. We also have a SPi forum along with SPi blog linked to our site, which deals with all things putting and draws upon the knowledge of our full global base of certified instructors to help students find everything they might be looking for.

PGA.com: Word has it that SeeMore's customer service is second to none. How important is that in a business as competitive as the golf equipment industry?

Grundberg: We believe we have the best technology in the putter world with our simple alignment system. And we believe it is proven, or validated, with dozens of tour victories and two major championships, all without having any endorsement deals with any of the players.

They play SeeMore because they believe it makes them better. But our greatest asset is that our No. 1 goal as a company is to become known by our consumers and our trade partners for a level of service that is above and beyond expectations in every way. We will personally interact in a timely manner with every single customer who reaches out to us. We care. We love the dialogue. We truly enjoy helping golfers find something they love and helping them find more enjoyment in the game. We never rest in this pursuit.

PGA.com: Talk to us a little about your current offerings -- both equipment and accessories.

Grundberg: On the equipment side, we have the most extensive putter offering in the world.

Our entire lineup is best viewed on our website for starters. All of our putters feature milled faces for the ultimate in feel and precision. Our prices range from $150 to $400+.

We start with face milling, with our $150 and $165 offerings, then move to Precision Tour milling in our $175-$195 offerings, which includes milling other key parts of the putter for even more perfection. And then we have models which move toward a combination of 100 percent milled investment grade metals and multiple materials and custom milling patterns for the ultimate in feel, perfection, beauty, confidence, and pride of ownership. These are the $250-$500 putters.

They are the most perfect, beautiful putting instruments in the world, and the golfers who can make this type of investment will find putting nirvana. To point out two of our newest offerings, the PTM Precision Tour Milled line (PTM1 and PTM3), as well as the Precision Tour Milled xSeries, are a new generation of milled putters which we have been able to engineer so that they are able to still sell for $200 or less.

We are very proud to offer this new line. And our new zSeries Tour Limited putters at the high end offer an exciting new head design, and also the ultimate personal fitting experience with each 100 percent milled putter also offering included weighting options for the golfer to be able to customize swing weight, and toe release dynamics, to meet individual needs. And as mentioned before, every putter can be custom ordered with a wide variety of grip and headcover sizes and colors, which our customers love.

Here's a look at the picture tweeted out by Bubba Watson on Wednesday, as the 2012 Masters champion has the 'Duck Dynasty' boys and the man himself -- Jason Dufner -- post up for a #Dufnering session at the Zurich Classic.

OK, so it's a day old, but is anyone truly sick of the #Dufnering fad?

As we reported yesterday, the boys from Duck Dynasty joined Bubba Watson at the Zurich Classic Pro-Am. Shortly after, the crew gathered with Jason Dufner for a #Dufnering session.